The best financial apps to help you
get a handle on your spending
Long gone are the days of putting on a suit, heading downtown and meeting your personal banker to discuss your portfolio, finances or investments. Like everything else, the shift has gone almost entirely digital and your Windsor-wearing middleman might not be necessary anymore.
That's the good news. So what's the bad news? According to a 2016 Fortune study, nearly two-thirds of Americans can't pass a basic financial literacy test. Perhaps even more terrifying, according to findings reported in Money magazine, more than a third of American adults have saved zero dollars for their retirement.
Take a deep breath and don't panic (unless you're paying off student loans at 45, then maybe panic a little bit). We tallied up some of the best reviewed finance and wealth-management apps to make sense of your money.
If you hate having a dozen tabs open at once, Mint is for you. It was created by Intuit (the makers of such institutional giants as QuickBooks and TurboTax), and remains the most well-rounded app you'll find to help manage your money. The app aggregates all your bank accounts and credit card information in one spot, while analyzing your accounts to provide basic tips and advice.
If budgeting is your greatest weakness, Pennies is the app to help you understand where your money is going and why there isn't more of it. The app is specially built for those who simply want to know how much money they can realistically (and responsibly) spend. You can budget by day and week so you know when you've got a little extra to spend or when you should pump the brakes.
Investing is intimidating for newcomers, especially if you don't have someone to help hold your hand at the beginning. Robinhood was engineered for the casual investor. You can learn to invest in the stock market as you build out your portfolio. This app's strength is zero-commission trading, so if you're hesitant and want to move just a little money, then this is a great entry point.
Starting from scratch? Then you might want this app—the acronym stands for You Need a Budget and the goal is to help you get out of debt and better prepare for those unexpected expenses that tend to derail your financial security. For about half the cost of a Netflix subscription, this app will analyze your spending and help you improve your financial literacy by honing in on where you're burning through the most cash. The app also offers live workshops from industry experts to help improve your understanding of financial basics.
Ah, the joys of crypto trading. If you're looking to jump into the rapidly-growing market of cryptocurrencies, first get up to speed on the basics before investing any real money. And when you're ready to move, try Gemini. While Coinbase may be the most common platform for trading digital assets, Gemini has actually built a stronger reputation and trust among investors. The Winklevoss-backed company consistently has the largest Bitcoin trading volume of all exchanges.
